Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Outside Reading Blog #3

Part 1: In this portion of the book, Gerry purchases many materials for the construction of his dream boat, Yankee Girl. Through many hardships and about 6 months of constructing, Yankee Girl is finished. But now with his money supply short, Gerry must decide what provisions he must buy and pack in his very small 10 foot boat. 450 cans of beans, stew, veggies, and fruit; a sleeping bag, flashlights, flares, radio, 30 gallons of distilled water, 100 cans of juice, 40 shirts, 20 pairs of pants, and 30 pairs of socks make up only a fraction of his total gear. So with the spring fading away, Gerry makes his plans to set sail in June.

Gerry Spiess, born in 1940, grew up to be a school teacher for White Bear Lake, yet that's not his greatest accomplishment. Gerry had always been a sailor, sailing nearly everyday on White Bear Lake. But his dreams were pushing him even further, so in 1978 he began his construction on Yankee Girl a 10 foot long small sail boat designed for one purpose, a solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean. So on June 1, 1979, Spiess set sail from Norfolk, Virginia and spent 54 days alone on the great ocean until he landed in Falmouth, England. He had made the trek, but later in life, he and Yankee Girl would also make another attempt, but this time it would involve crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Part 2: Journal- I have liked my memoir so far. It is very personal because Gerry takes you along where ever he is in an in-depth way that is very satisfying. Also it is packed with good knowledge of sailing techniques and terms. But this also acts like a negative to me because I don't understand everything that he says due to the complicated sailor jargon. But I've enjoyed reading it. It actually makes me want to get out and sail again up at my cabin. Gerry can describe his adventure very well and is good at communicating his feelings to the reader in a friendly manner, almost as if you were his best pal and he was telling you one of his favorite adventure tales. Hopefully, the rest of my memoir will sustain its quality throughout the whole book.